藍姬尼斯度假飯店(Ranginuis Retreat)

Terrific place. The bungalow is well-equipped and comfortable, and the location and view are terrific, right on the beach. Chantelle on reception was excellent, picking me up from the airport and dropping me off on departure day, and answering all my questions. She booked a boat trip for me, and I had a great day out. Years ago, I used to work with tourists just one day a week and know how hard it can be to be polite, enthusiastic and friendly all the time, but she achieved it, day in, day out. The accommodation is close to several cafes/restaurants so perfect if, like me, you don't hire a car or scooter.

We enjoyed a fabulous three nights at Ranginui’s Retreat this week, and will definitely be staying again on our next visit to Aitutaki. It’s not the Ritz, and doesn’t claim to be, but our room was spotless, comfortable and well-equipped… and its price and location were outstanding. We loved being right on a gorgeous swimming beach with stunning views of the lagoon, with a café and three restaurants within only a few minutes’ walk. Having the Blue Lagoon Bar & Restaurant next door was a real bonus… we loved being able to watch the fish darting around in the bluest water you can imagine, right below the deck! If you prefer to choose accommodation based on location and value (it’s a fraction of the cost of the neighbouring resorts), then this is definitely worth checking out 🌺🐠🌴

25-28 Oct 23 This is a comfortable 3 star and I think in a great location, so handy to Koru Cafe, The Boatshed Bar & Restaurant and The Lagoon Restaurant, along with the 5* Aitutaki Private Island restaurant which you look across to. So you have great on the beach views, with basic cooking amentities and a BBQ (suggest you bring your food from Raro) as there is no shop nearby, but we hired scooters from Ranginuis $25/day and had a great day zipping around the whole island. Just know reception is only open in hte mornings - they have been doing this many years so it's best to relax into their schedule and you will get along fine. There is the option of Air con which for some is important. Free use of kayaks and most of the lagoon excursions pick up from this location. We got an airport transfer - but patience and island mode is the key.

Great location, a short walk along the lagoon to the Boatshed Restaurant, and good coffee place and 2 kms from the Airport. Free transfers only if you stay more than four nights. Good swimming in the lagoon out front - (tho water not clear) and complimentary kayaks ( but you need to reserve paddles). We found the accommodation (room 8) shabby for the price compared to other places we stayed in Raro. The room was small, tired and dilapidated. The office was only open from 8:30- 12:00 and closed altogether on Sundays. Powdered milk in the room. No shampoo provided. We had nowhere to hang wet clothes out of the rain and when I tried to hang them in the laundry area I was shouted at by Laine. Working in the tourist industry calls for welcoming dispositions. Any request from hosts Steve and Laine seemed to be an imposition. There are a lot of rules! They could do much better with a positive approach to their guests.

This place is a great find….. Great location on the lagoon, not for from the lagoon cruises set of point - just down the road. Koru Cafe and The Boatshed Bar and Grill are within easy walking distance - there is no restaurant at Ranginui’s Retreat but the rooms have cooking facilities. There is a pool, sun-loungers, kayaks, paddle boards and snorkelling gear. There are scooters available for hire. The rooms have recently been renovated and are nicely decorated. Our room had a king bed, table and chairs (inside and outside), bbq, microwave, cooking facilities, kitchen utensils/equipment, bathroom with external shower. Other rooms had two bedrooms and slept 4 adults - they had all the other stuff too.

The place fills its purpose… it offers decent accommodation for a fraction of the price of the resort across the lagoon. But there is a reason for it. Reading the other reviews I can see we were not the only ones to be ‘forgotten’ at the airport… Upon landing, all the meet and greet services from all the hotels are here to welcome their guests with flower leis, except this one… we had to wait a fair bit before seeing someone to pick us up. Additionally, it is true that there is hardly any chance to get any requests attended during your stay unless you find yourself on the ‘retreat’ premises during office hours in the morning. The last issue that some customers may find, is the lack of soundproofing between the cabins. Otherwise, everything was fine. The place was clean and well appointed. The bed was comfortable. Just don’t expect 5 star services but I do not think this place claims to be 5 star! Once you know this, you can definitely still book a cabin at Ranginui. It still is a nice place to stay if other hotels are full or not within your budget.

Steve was helpful in finding rooms for us all, car hire and airport pickup. This place is well located with good swimming on the doorstep and nice cafes and restaurants nearby. Rooms were clean and comfortable with excellent beds. We loved the low key vibe and would happily return.

I stayed two nights at Ranganui’s. The location is great, walking distance to the boats and 3 nearby restaurants. The room was small but clean. The area is rampant with mosquitos, so bring insect repellant! The only reason I gave this place 3 stars instead of 5 is due to the lack of communication with staff. I had emailed my itinerary as well as the need for a morning airport shuttle. When I arrived, I had to wait an hour outside to find someone to help with check-in. I never saw the owner again and upon leaving, did not have a ride and had to walk 35 minutes to the airport with my heavy bags.